Constellations: A Guide to the Night Sky

Nearest Stars

Alpha Centauri is the nearest star system to the Sun, located at a distance of only 4.37 light years or 1.34 parsecs from Earth. Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in Centaurus constellation and the third brightest star in sky. It is only slightly brighter than Arcturus in Boötes constellation and Vega in Lyra. The … [Read more…]

Proxima Centauri, also known as Alpha Centauri C, is the closest star to Earth. It is located in the constellation Centaurus. The star lies at a distance of only 4.243 light years from Earth. The name Proxima means “next to” or “nearest to” in Latin. Proxima’s distance to the second and third closest stars to … [Read more…]

Altair, or Alpha Aquilae, is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. It lies only 16.7 light years from Earth. The star has a visual magnitude of 0.77. Along with the stars Vega in Lyra constellation and Deneb in Cygnus, Altair forms the Summer Triangle, a prominent asterism in the northern hemisphere. It … [Read more…]